Focus@Henley Issue 13 - December 2016

ISSUE 13 – DECEMBER 2016

FOCUS BE EXCEPTIONAL. THE HENLEY WAY.

BRINGING YOU THE INSIGHTS YOU NEED TO DRIVE YOUR AGENDA

Ershad Coaching: Henley integrates Islamic principles

P3

READ

READ

>

What’s in store for the brewing industry? P4

READ

>

READ

>

Case study: Telekom Malaysia looks to the future P5

>

Preparing for your finance career on a flight simulator P10

READ

The Apprenticeship Levy and how to make the most of it P11

READ

>

Brexit and its implications for learning and development P6

>

READ

The Bourne identity – Dorota’s journey to Henley P12

>

READ

>

Digital developments, MOOCs and more P8

READ

>

Be brave and confident: How women overcome imposter syndrome P13

WELCOME

FOCUS@HENLEY – YOUR ESSENTIAL ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST NEWS AND VIEWS ON MANAGEMENT, LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING DEVELOPMENT

Hello and welcome to Issue 13 of Henley Business School’s FOCUS magazine, in which we highlight some of the latest news, views and insights into strategy, management and leadership, coaching and much more.

Among the topics featured in this issue are: – Ershad coaching – an approach to coaching which integrates Islamic principles into the coaching conversation – The changing landscape of the brewing industry – What Brexit means for Henley and executive learning – An update on digital developments – Henley’s response to the apprenticeship levy As ever, your thoughts and comments are genuinely welcomed, so please do send us your feedback and help us to ensure that Focus@Henley continues to be relevant and compelling.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Claire Hewitt, Head of Learning Design +44 (0)1491 418 767 exec@henley.ac.uk www.henley.ac.uk

2

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

ERSHAD COACHING

ERSHAD COACHING: INTEGRATES ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES

DR CHRISTIAN VAN NIEUWERBURGH

For more about Ershad coaching, click here

B

ack in 2013, Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh was the keynote

speaker at a conference in Kuwait. He used the opportunity to discuss the three keys components of effective coaching: skills, process and a coaching ‘way of being’.

And while the subject of his talk proved to be fascinating to the audience, several delegates were especially intrigued by how his description of the ‘way of being’ aligned with traditional Islamic beliefs and concepts.

Many delegates argued that Western models of coaching were not appropriate for the culture of the Gulf region and that they tended to be too individualistic. Some shared stories of how Western approaches to coaching had actually caused internal conflict for Muslims wishing to achieve goals, while also remaining true to their faith.

At that event, Christian was approached by the conference organiser, Raja Al-Laho, who had been grappling with the challenges of integrating Islamic principles into coaching conversations, and, as a result, a new coaching

model based on the Islamic faith and principles was co-designed. This new methodology, named Ershad coaching, has recently been presented at the region’s largest HR summit and has received very positive feedback.

According to Christian, there are a number of ways in which Ershad coaching is distinct.

‘Fundamentally, it remains a very human conversation,’ he says. ‘But the Arabic word “Ershad” denotes guidance.

This new framework is one in which the learner, in the presence of a facilitator, determines the best way of achieving his or her intentions in a way that is aligned with their values and beliefs.

Therefore the Ershad coaching process is one of self-guidance in which the learner finds ways of pursuing the path that is right for them.

‘Importantly, we don’t talk about goals in this model. It is all about positive intentions. Nor do we use the terms coach or coachee, because we want to be explicit about the roles. We use the terms facilitator and learner. This makes it clear that fundamentally, Ershad coaching is about learning.

It is a learner-led conversation that is supported by a facilitator who is skilled at listening, asking questions and providing a safe and respectful environment for reflection.

‘However, the core of the process is what we call the Alignment Wheel, which is used to check that the chosen pathways are aligned to the learner’s faith and values. It asks the learner how their chosen pathway might reflect on their relationship with their beliefs and how it aligns with their own, individual principles. It challenges them to consider how their paths might sit with life, the universe and the important relationships in their lives. By looking at the contextual implications of their intentions, they can ensure that they are complementary to, and not in conflict with, their faith.’

Christian is currently undertaking further research in this area in collaboration with the University of Oxford, and a book on the subject: The Principles and Practice of Coaching in Islamic Culture, co-written by Christian and Raja, is due to be published in 2017.

‘We are consulting with a number of UK and Gulf partners to exchange knowledge, ideas and best practice with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of Ershad coaching relative to traditional approaches.’

Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh is Executive Director for the Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change at Henley Business School.

For more information about the Centre, click here.

Focus@Henley

3

BREWING EVENT

HOW CREATIVE SOLUTIONS ARE ADDING FLAVOUR TO THE CRAFT BREWING INDUSTRY For more details of Henley Business School Engaging Business events, click here

T

he ICMA Centre at the University of Reading played host to the latest

event in the Engaging Business series in October, during which a panel of brewing industry experts addressed the challenges faced by the sector and the growing influence of craft brewers.

The panel, consisting of Simon Lewis, CEO of West Berkshire Brewery; Andy Moffat, Director of Redemption Brewing and ICMA Centre alumnus; and David Sheen, Policy Manager at the British Beer and Pub Association, soon got to grips with the changes in legislation affecting the industry and the impact of the recent merger of SABMiller and AB InBev.

LEFT TO RIGHT: PROFESSOR GINNY GIBSON; ANDY MOFFAT; CLAIRE HEWITT; SIMON LEWIS; DAVID SHEEN

Emerging audiences and different perspectives

The panel discussed the implications of 1,900 new breweries launching over the past 16 years and considered the potential opportunities and threats this shift in the landscape presented.

The propensity of ‘hipsters’ to drink craft beers rather than cheaper options was the subject of some discussion. The panel also considered the impact that social media is having on the way small breweries promote their products.

On the other side of the coin, they discussed the myths surrounding pub closures and how high-street outlets are changing.

This, in turn, led to an assessment of the ways in which the traditional pubs are evolving to offer a wider range of products.

The issue of selling beers online attracted a good deal of comment too, particularly in light of the fact that China is way ahead of the UK in this respect.

The impact of large retailers The panel was asked about the effects of the supermarkets on beer-buying behaviour and the dilemmas posed to small brewers by the lure of wider

4

distribution, often at the expense of profit margins. And it was noted that the need to produce larger volumes to satisfy supermarket requirements can also impose a significant burden on the brewers.

Collaboration is the new flavour Asked about future trends, the panel felt that collaboration between breweries is becoming more prevalent, enabling both parties to benefit, both technically and in terms of sharing marketing costs.

And to conclude, the panel highlighted a number of recent product developments, which included beers flavoured with a variety of unusual ingredients from gherkins to squid ink!

The future will, it seems, never be short of innovation in the craft beer industry.

To see the full report of this event, click here.

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

CASE STUDY

HENLEY HELPS TELEKOM MALAYSIA EXECUTIVES PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

JON MORTON

For more details of Henley’s custom programmes, click here

I

n today’s economic and technological climate, every industry sector

would, almost without exception, admit to being in a somewhat volatile period, but few could claim to have experienced such radical changes as those that have affected – and continue to impact – the telecoms industry.

So the challenge for Henley Business School in working with the board members and senior executives of Telekom Malaysia (TM) has been a particularly fascinating one, according to Programme Director Jon Morton.

‘Henley worked in partnership with Multimedia University (MMU) to design and deliver a concise strategic leadership programme in the Cyberjaya district near Kuala Lumpur, which focused on establishing best practice within the boardroom to address both internal and external strategies,’ says Jon.

The initial programme is run over two days, with the second day dedicated to assessing how TM can maximise the opportunities within the emerging telecoms and multimedia landscape, and the business models and strategies they can use to obviate the impact of the industry disruptors.

In the words of one delegate: ‘Henley has brought us new tools and ways of thinking that have enabled us to broaden our imaginations and consider new commercial approaches, while being much more aware of how to reconcile subsidiary and group priorities. The programme was extremely useful in the way it addressed our individual situations, and we are all looking forward to putting our new ideas into practice.’

‘The exercise has opened a lot of minds to the potential threats and possibilities,’ notes Jon, ‘and the delegates are already drilling down into the practical issues of resource and capability, reflecting their appreciation of the foundations of the programme.’

With TM assessing the outcomes of the programme and its subsequent recommendations, Henley is working with the company to identify how they might work together to translate creative strategic thinking into implementation. In the meantime, however, the bar has already been raised, and TM are eager to try out a range of new attacking options to ensure they remain the country’s top telecoms provider.

‘Internally, we’ve been working to define what the boards should look like – their obligations, values and processes, for example. And considering how the role of a leader of a subsidiary company might be in conflict with the needs and expectations of the group stakeholders and how the subsidiaries can really add value.

‘Following an introduction from the TM Deputy CEO, Professor Andrew Kakabadse drew upon his experience and knowledge of the board process at Manchester United to illustrate some of the key characteristics of effective boards and board directors.’

Focus@Henley

5

INTERNATIONAL UPDATE

BREXIT MEANS BREXIT… BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR HENLEY?

DR ELENA BELESKA-SPASOVA

For more about Henley Flexible Executive MBA programmes, click here

S

ince Henley first began to spread its wings across the world, our

European partnerships have been of great importance.

In Denmark for example, Henley has recently hit the 1,000-student milestone, and there is a vibrant local alumni community.

Five years after being established, Henley Germany will soon be moving into new facilities in Munich to better serve an increasing number of students in the new Centre for Reflective

6

Leadership. While at the other end of the Baltic Sea, Henley Finland is becoming increasing influential in the region and celebrated its 30th anniversary recently.

Henley’s operation in Malta continues to serve the Mediterranean region, including the Middle East and North Africa and, closer to home, in Ireland, Henley programme members have produced some wonderful results recently, with an Irish student winning the prize for the best MBA student last year.

Indeed, Henley’s Flexible Executive MBA programmes, which include all these countries, currently have around 1,700 active students. And while Henley is increasingly embracing the entrepreneurial challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it is extremely proud of its relationships with bluechip organisations such as Deutsche Telekom, the European Commission, Danone, ING Bank, Shell, Pernod Ricard and Zurich Insurance.

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

So how will the Brexit vote affect all of this?

Henley’s Associate Professor in International Business, Dr Elena Beleska-Spasova, is confident that unless there are significant future changes in the legislation governing the movement of students, there should be no major implications.

‘Students come to Henley because of our global triple accreditation and our reputation for high-quality teaching,’ she says. ‘They are also attracted by having access to our global alumni community, which offers an exceptional networking opportunity.’

‘The UK is still perceived as a leader in higher education,’ she adds. ‘We’re seen as being a stronghold of academic excellence and research, and leaders in innovation.’

Elena is currently preparing a survey for Henley alumni covering attitudes to Brexit and anticipated opportunities and challenges over the next two to three years, and the results of this should be available for the next issue of Focus.

In the meantime, she is cautiously optimistic that the net outcome of the Brexit vote for UK academic institutions will be all positive. ‘Certainly there are some concerns – especially among the academics – that European research funding might be adversely affected, but I see lots of opportunities to strengthen our collaborative network both within and beyond Europe.’

Business Snippets

A guide to business etiquette around the world Do you bow in China? Do you maintain eye contact in Brazil? What hand do you use to pass out business cards in India? With every country comes a different culture, history, lifestyle and way of conducting business.

So it’s imperative to know how to network appropriately with people of all backgrounds and ForexTime have helpfully put together a handy guide that could be the difference between a successful meeting and failure. Their findings include advice such as…

• French business people generally like lots of detail in business and appreciate your efforts to speak a few words in their tongue • Germans tend to be very direct, but this shouldn’t ever be perceived as rudeness • In Italy, they are well known for taking their time to consider business propositions carefully

Follow on Twitter @HenleyBSchool@ • In the UK, we apparently like punctuality, and we also enjoy small talk mixed with business, especially when it involves the weather • Russians are transactional by nature, so err on the side of formality • In China, you should study your counterpart’s business card carefully and repeat their name or comment on their position as a show of interest • Documents should always be passed using your right hand in India, as your left is considered unclean • Brazilians like to stand close to you, to build trust, and often use physical contact • In Canada, it’s important to maintain eye contact as a sign of sincerity So now you know!

Edited from an article in Business Insider Malaysia. For the full article, showing infographics on do’s and don’ts in 14 countries, click here.

And what impact might the outcome of the recent US presidential election have?

‘It certainly proved to be an interesting event’, says Elena, ‘and only time will tell what the implications might be.

But if, as Mr Trump has promised, he tightens border controls, many foreign students may opt to base their learning in the UK instead of the US, especially those aspiring to Masters and PhD qualifications. So there could be some positive effects for British academic institutions.’

For more details of Henley’s Flexible Executive MBA, click here.

Focus@Henley

7

DIGITAL UPDATE

HENLEY’S DIGITAL LEADERSHIP FORUM AIMS TO CHANGE HOW WE DESIGN OUR BUSINESSES For more details of Henley’s Digital Leadership Forum and events, click here

T

he struggle to be an effective organisational leader within an

era of such fast-changing technology is one that is challenging senior executives across the world. No sooner is a state-of-the-art system or platform installed, than it can be deemed outdated or redundant.

The Digital Leadership Forum comes of age Henley has been leading the charge to provide credible, research-informed advice and support in this field, and through the Henley Digital Leadership Forum (DLF) it is providing an increasingly rich resource for business innovators seeking robust learning.

According to Professor Sharm Manwani, Executive Professor of IT Leadership at Henley, the DLF is a vehicle to help Henley in its quest to connect key researchers, practitioners and policy makers through a network of partnerships.

PROFESSOR SHARM MANWAN

So-called future-proof capabilities cannot take account of all the quantum shifts in technology, so maintaining the most cost-effective architecture is an ongoing dilemma for even techsavvy leaders.

And there is no escaping the need to have the latest, most efficient ways of communicating, storing and analysing data, automating processes and enhancing everything from logistics to operations. No longer is a digital proposition a desirable bolt-on; it now has to be at the core of business design.

8

‘The Digital Leadership Forum is a collaborative platform set up by Henley Business School through which the School and its partners engage in research projects, networking, teaching, design and transferring policy-relevant research in the field of digital leadership. With the Digital Leadership Forum, we are dedicated to promoting innovations in ICT and exploring how digital technologies facilitate the way we work and communicate, now and in the future.

‘Creating a digital culture within an organisation is a huge challenge, and often the challenge is greatest within the largest and longestestablished companies.

‘Henley’s joint research with McKinsey found that while digital transformation is about agility and responsiveness, it also brings complexity. We’ve seen this recently with the threat of

cyber-hacking through something as seemingly innocent as internet-enabled domestic appliances. Organisations therefore need to recognise the knock-on effects of digital, and create the infrastructure to be robust, cybersecure and efficient.

‘In our research, we’ve identified a worrying lack of capability among IT professionals to inspire leaders to anticipate, recognise and deal with both the digital opportunities and dangers. There is sometimes an “either/or mindset”, and an absence of ”organisational ambidexterity”. It’s very difficult for digital leaders to find an appropriate balance between business, technology and leadership; hence our programmes focus on each of these elements.’

PA Consulting programme provides Business Design in a digital context In the last few years, Henley has been working alongside PA Consulting to jointly develop a Business Design programme in a digital context.

Now on its 10th cohort, it has been attended by over 200 senior PA Consulting delegates. The programme enables participants to gain a holistic understanding of business design within an innovative framework.

Individually and collectively, they increasingly contribute to enhanced client business operating models, which translates into more and larger business assignments.

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

Digital Leadership MOOC attracts 11,000 applicants Similarly, Henley has been working in collaboration with leading German and Dutch universities to deliver strategy and business design (including enterprise architecture) programmes sponsored by EuroCIO, Europe’s only independent association of large IT users. The programme was assessed as best practice for digital leaders by the European Commission (EC), leading to Henley supporting an EC digital leadership initiative for large enterprises. Henley was then invited to participate in an EC research study

amongst SMEs, which, in turn, proved to be the catalyst for Henley’s highly successful online course (MOOC): ‘Digital leadership: Creating value through technology’, which attracted over 11,000 applicants from around the world when it launched in February on the FutureLearn platform. The course is free to join, aimed at top and middle management in any industry, and will help participants to gain confidence in digital leadership and create value through technology.

Henley remains committed to expanding its digital leadership education and research through

strong collaborations with leading organisations and the beneficial impact of Henley addressing the digital skills shortages is clear. As an example, after completing the Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) programme, the CIO of Bayer Mexico commented, ‘What I learned on the programme was crucial to my new role as a country CIO and in establishing IT as an essential company function. The programme’s broad scope helped me set up my new organisation in alignment with the business strategy.’

For more information on the Henley MOOC click here.

Henley Business School is now

UK

TOP

for open programmes FT 2016 (EE/2016)

Focus@Henley

WORLD

#6 3

Henley Business School is now

for custom programmes for international clients FT 2016 (EE/2016)

9

CENTRES UPDATE

STOCK MARKET SIMULATORS AT THE ICMA CENTRE: THE REAL DEAL FOR FINANCE STUDENTS

PROFESSOR ADRIAN BELL

For more about the ICMA Centre, click here

S

et up back in 1991 as a result of the International Capital Market

Association (ICMA) collaborating with the University of Reading’s Finance Department, the ICMA Centre brings together students, academics and practitioners who all share a fascination with the financial sector. The Centre gives students the closest thing to real experience in the financial markets, allowing them to ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ in the markets without risking a penny.

ICMA is more than ready for take-off ‘We have three dealing rooms, supported by Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg,’ says Professor Adrian Bell, Head of the ICMA Centre. ‘Students can experience finance theory in practice and get a real feel for the genuine operations and pressures of leadingedge trading rooms. Having this preparation stands them in really good stead for when they embark on – or change – their careers. The dealing rooms do exactly what flight simulators do for airline pilots, but for financial traders, professionals and policy-makers.

Global leaders, across the globe The ICMA Centre delivers Masters in Finance courses ranked in the world top 40 by the Financial Times, and offers its modules for students on a variety of programmes across Henley Business School. The Centre is also an integral part of many customised executive education programmes, such as the one currently being run for the Financial Conduct Authority.

But the major benefit the Centre offers is the world-class research facility for which it has earned a global reputation.

‘Among our academic faculty and PhD students, there is a rich vein of research activity, covering topics that include history of finance, corporate finance,

ethical finance and ESG (environmental, social and governance). We have been awarded a number of grants from such institutions as the Leverhulme Trust, which has given us £200,000 to examine the workings of the real estate market in medieval England, and the Economic and Social Research Council, which gave us £500,000 to analyse retail investors’ buying and decisionmaking behaviour.’

This ongoing research serves only to add to the appeal of one of the shining lights at Henley Business School.

For more information about the ICMA Centre and the part it plays in research, development and learning – at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive levels – visit icmacentre.ac.uk

‘Our Bloomberg terminals are especially close to the real thing, giving real-time market intelligence. You could see maps of wind farms in Germany or track cargo ships across the world, which is the kind of information that might be vital in financial and economic analysis and research.’

10

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

APPRENTICESHIP LEV Y

THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY AND HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT

DR TIM SELLICK

For further information on the apprenticeship levy, please contact tim.sellick@henley.ac.uk

I

n April 2017, the Apprenticeship Levy is being introduced as part of a

government initiative to encourage companies to invest in their people development. The levy is a new payroll tax exacted at 0.5% on institutions whose payroll is greater than £3m per tax year.

Organisations that pay into the levy can use that money to develop staff.

Employers who pay the levy and those who commit to apprenticeships will also get more out than they pay in as the government will apply a 10% top-up and, for a short time during the startup phase of the new apprenticeships, will pay up to 90% of any additional apprenticeship training over and above their levy pot that an organisation may wish to conduct.

While many large organisations will be able to deliver their own apprenticeship training internally – the removal of age restrictions on apprenticeships means that new opportunities will open up at senior levels – the levy funding will be able to deliver degree apprenticeships at Level 6 and it is anticipated, in time, that Level 7 apprenticeship standards will also become available (Bachelors/ Masters degrees) and this provides an ideal conduit for a world-class Business School such as Henley to make an impact at a senior level.

Henley Business School will mobilise its expertise in designing bespoke Executive Education solutions to work with clients to design and deliver a tailored degree apprenticeship

Focus@Henley

experience around a core product – to support them in attracting and growing talent, and co-create a strategic plan to help the learning and development teams to establish a return on investment from the outset and get the maximum benefit from their levy contribution.

Initially Henley will be creating a qualification mapped against the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) standard called the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA), which will act as the core programme of study.

Our approach to the delivery of the CMDA means:

• We use excellence in our academic approach and rigour in our teaching to provide an outstanding experience, to build networks within and beyond the organisation, and create real impact at an individual and company level.

The Apprenticeship Levy has the potential to disrupt the University landscape. We believe that our valueadding approach to this opportunity will allow us to help businesses to use their levy to create the best workforce possible, and Henley will remain at the vanguard of the Higher Education marketplace.

• We can work with clients to identify strategic issues within their business and utilise the assessment strategy and components of the work-based learning elements of the programme to address these.

11

PROFILE

DR DOROTA BOURNE For more about the Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change, click here

D

r Dorota Bourne is Associate Professor of Coaching and Change

Management and Academic Director at the Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change

Originally from Warsaw in Poland, Dorota came from a background of science and logic. However, she couldn’t have foreseen that the influences that initially shaped her journey would actually prove to be stepping stones to a very different path.

Both her parents were engineers, and this doubtless drove her avid enthusiasm for maths and physics at school, and a desire to study physics at a higher level.

However, the family moved to Salzburg in Austria when Dorota was just 14, and she became determined to find

a reason to return to Poland to go to university. So she decided to select a course that wasn’t available in Austria and, eventually, found herself back in Warsaw studying management.

Although Dorota says she found it very frustrating at first, she soon grew to love the subject and was particularly intrigued by organisation ethnography and anthropology in management.

‘Having the opportunity to study people in depth was fascinating to me,’ she explains, ‘and this gave me the motivation to come to England in 2000 to do my PhD.’ Being ‘drawn to big factories and manufacturing’, her PhD focused on international knowledge transfer in the car manufacturing industry. Being based at the University of Bedfordshire, this inevitably led her to working closely with the General Motors company, Vauxhall, which was

based nearby in Luton, giving her a link from her engineering DNA to her fascination with organisations, people and behaviour.

After completing her doctorate, Dorota took a teaching post and spent the next 11 years lecturing at Queen Mary University of London. But eventually a desire to take a more applied approach and work with executive managers and practitioners surfaced.

So, in 2016, Dorota found a new home at the Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change which she describes as ‘the perfect place for me to do more organisational psychology and spread my wings.’

Away from work, Dorota has a wide spectrum of interests. As well as doting on her greyhound, Clara, who she rehomed from a pet shelter, she has a dark fascination for Nordic crime fiction and is even writing her own novel. But in stark contrast to her addiction to this ‘grim, depressing’ genre, she loves to spread her wings in more glamorous directions, particularly to parts of the world where the cultural differences stimulate her love of anthropology.

‘I’d love to visit India and Egypt,’ she says, ‘but I was really taken with Australia. They have a great humour and mentality, and it fits so perfectly with the climate and the ocean.’

‘But I’m very happy at Henley,’ she adds. ‘It’s a beautiful place, and the Coaching Centre has a great – and welldeserved – reputation. There are lots of challenges, but I’m looking forward to them and relishing the opportunity to work with lots more great people.’

12

www.henley.ac.uk/exec

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

DO YOU WORRY THAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO BE FOUND OUT? IF SO, YOU’RE NOT ALONE… For more details of other Women in Leadership events, click here.

A

t the Henley Women in Leadership Forum, hosted by property

company U+I in London, an audience of 150 delegates heard Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Associate Professor in Coaching at Henley, and a diverse panel of women in business discuss the phenomenon of ‘imposter syndrome’, which, according to research, affects up to 70% of us at some time in our lives.

working and a negative impact on our well-being, so it is important to understand the role of our ‘inner game’ and the effect of performanceinhibiting thoughts, such as telling ourselves that we aren’t any good at maths.

Conversely, practising performanceenhancing thoughts and ‘backing ourselves’ can promote positive behaviour and build confidence.

The event also incorporated Christian’s latest thinking on the subject of unconscious bias, including the suggestion that it is part of the way our neurological system saves us time, by providing a short-cut in our decisionmaking processes.

As Christian explained, imposter syndrome tends to affect women more than men, but is also felt disproportionately among high achievers who have suffered any kind of discrimination.

Finally, a panel of business women took part in an interactive discussion about how the impact of confidence – or the

lack of it – had played a part in their own career progression, and how their learning development had enhanced that confidence.

From the audience feedback it was clear that the issues experienced by the panel members resonated with many of those attending, and the strategies suggested by Christian and the panel attracted a great deal of interest.

Imposter syndrome manifests itself in feelings of anxiety and thoughts such as • I’m a fake • Any success was all – or mainly – down to luck • I’m going to be found out, sooner or later But what can we do to cure the symptoms or at least alleviate them?

The outcomes of imposter syndrome will often include anxiety, excessive

Focus@Henley

13

Executive Education at Henley Business School For more information, please contact: Henley Business School Greenlands Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire RG9 3AU

HenleyBusinessSchool

exec@henley.ac.uk Tel +44 (0)1491 418 767 www.henley.ac.uk/exec

+Henleyacuk

Executive Education at Henley Business School @HenleyBSchool

HenleyBSchool

EFMD

This brochure is correct at the time of going to print. Henley Business School reserves the right to amend any of this information. For the latest information please see our website.